It’s important to keep your dog’s fur looking good, but it’s also just as important to maintain it, in order to help avoid infections or diseases caused by dirt and other various bacteria.
The importance of good looking fur
First, you need to brush your dog and you need to do a good job of it. When you do not properly groom your dog, mats of fur can enlarge and become even more unmanageable when they are wet. If a mat gets really bad, you will probably have to cut it off to prevent it from getting worse or letting bacteria inside of it, which can result in an infection.
Some kinds of dogs like certain kinds of dogs with shorter hair who only need to be brushed lightly or with a special kind of grooming glove, while dogs with medium length or longer types of hair may need special tools, such as an undercoat rake or other kinds of special grooming tools that are available to use for your dog. Whichever you choose to groom your dog you must do it effectively to be able to remove the loose hair and distribute oils that are in the skin through the fur.
Brushing your Dog
Once you have brushed your dog, you need to carry on with other necessary clipping or grooming that you may need to do prior to bathing them. For example, you will want to trim out any of the mats or large clumps of fur that could be easily maintained by simple shampooing and drying. Dogs often times look at their best when they are properly washed bathed, groomed then blow-dried.
Dogs can be scared of water
Some kinds of dogs are scared by running water and taking baths, so you may need to find some kind of support or brace to be able to hold them in place when you are bathing them, so if this is the case, you need to help the dog get used to the sound of running water. You can do this by filling a tub and comforting your dog if they get scared.
The collar that your dog usually wears should be taken off from the dog and replaced with a collar that your dog can wear temporarily that will not discolor their fur. You can use a leash that can still restrain the dog in the tub. You should know that using a collar on your web dog, can cause sores or irritate the fur of your dog so make sure you wait a long enough period of time after bathing before putting the collar back on. Continue with wetting down your dog, and do so entirely.
What if you have a big dog?
If you have a bigger size dog, or a dog that has a double coat, a water-pressurizer that attaches to the water fixtures can really assist with cleaning all of the parts of your dog’s body easier. However, you need to remember not to force the dog if the sound of the water bothers him or her, because attempting to bathe the frightened animal will most likely be quite difficult.
Next, you can begin to shampoo, starting towards the neck and moving down the body. When you water down a shampoo, it can be easier to use on your dog because they are a little bit diluted. It is also better to give two diluted shampoos to your dog that can completely rinse thoroughly rather than one strong shampoo that leaves residue on the fur of your dog.
When you apply the shampoo to a particular region of fur on your dog using small dobs of shampoo then spread the shampoo around using your hand or a special kind of brush can help you to be able to work the shampoo to the coat. However, long-haired dogs can’t simply be scrubbed with a curry brush.
Those types of dogs may need to have the shampoo gently worked into the fur of your dog and along the length of the fur or coat and then continuing that same procedure over the rest of the body, or it will result in large mats. You should clean the head last, but do not apply the soap to the face or nose of your dog. You also need to be cautious around the nose and mouth too.
After you are finished shampooing, you need to completely rinse the fur and coat of your dog. As long as you see any amount of debris that is left in the fur can cause hot spots, and irritate the skin. Be sure to use a towel to dry your dog as best as you can or if you would rather let its coat finish drying naturally, then you’re done. If not, then proceed to use a blow dryer on the dog as much as the dog will allow, making sure that you do not completely dry it. You don’t want to do too much drying, because that could dry out the dog’s skin, which you don’t want.
Finally, it’s important to mention that grooming tables and raised bath tubs can help make it easier on you to be able to maintain your dog. An unused common type of table or flat surface can be used as a grooming table as well, but you should have a safe surface available for your dog to stand on.